Are you eating well and training hard but just not getting the results you are after? Have you considered that you might need MORE FOOD… this can be a really foreign concept to some people but it is a strategy that I often use to help people reach their goals!
Taking the time to listen to what your body is telling you and learning to adapt your food intake to match what it needs is a very effective way to manage your health, improve your performance and achieve your goals, but is much harder than it sounds.
As with everything in nutrition, you need to find something that works for you and your body to get the best out of it!
The signs that your body may need MORE FUEL through food can be different for each person. Here are some common warning signals that you should address as soon as you notice them.
- Feeling tired throughout the day (more than usual)
- Not recovering as well as you used too
- Feeling very hungry or having cravings throughout the day
- Not being able to push yourself in your training sessions
- Generally feeling flat throughout the day
Increasing your overall energy intake throughout the day can be very effective in addressing the issues above. This can be achieved in a number of ways…
- Increase the size of your portions at main meals
- Include more snacks throughout the day
- Swap some lower energy food for more energy dense food such as:Switch from low fat milk to full fat milk
- Change vegemite on toast to avocado on toast
- Add starchy vegetables to your dinners eg. potato, sweet potato, corn, pumpkin
Consuming the right foods before your training session can also be a great way to improve the quality and intensity of your sessions.